


Balls of Fury

by Duck_Life



Category: X-Force (Comics)
Genre: Feelings, Gen, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Ping-Pong, Teenagers, quiet moments, sam guthrie makes a lot of walking tacos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-06 04:28:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19055245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duck_Life/pseuds/Duck_Life
Summary: Jimmy and Rictor bond over their favorite redheads.





	Balls of Fury

Cable bought them the ping-pong table in a clumsy attempt to start treating the team more like teenagers. The rules, which are scrawled on a piece of notebook paper taped to the wall above the table, read:

  1. Play fair.
  2. No timebombs.
  3. If you break the table you have to pay for a new one.



Right now, Rictor’s playing ping-pong with Jimmy, who is definitely letting him win. Ric’s no slouch, but there’s no way he’d actually be able to beat someone with superhuman reflexes and strength. Hell, he’ll take it. He’s been in such a sour mood lately that a win feels nice, even if it’s a pity win. 

“Why the long face?” Jimmy asks at one point, deliberately letting the ping-pong ball sail over his shoulder. “Teenage heartache?”

“I guess,” Ric mumbles, although there’s no way he’s even  _ thought _ about  _ thinking _ of it in those kinda terms. Life on X-Force is already so screwed up. Letting Jimmy think he’s mooning after Tabs or Maria is far from the worst rumor he could perpetuate. And, besides, Jimmy’s so wrapped up in whatever’s going on with Theresa, which is either a soap opera or an afterschool special depending on the day of the week. 

Jimmy serves, sending the ping-pong ball rocketing toward Rictor. He bounces it back. “Here, how ’bout this? I’ll tell you about my redhead problems if you tell me about yours.”  

Rictor’s ping-pong paddle clatters to the floor. He swears he can feel his heart thudding, could probably  _ hear  _ it if it weren’t for the loud rushing in his ears. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” he chokes out.

Jimmy just looks bemused. Rictor stares him down for a second, contemplating storming off, and then Jimmy says, “... You and Sinclair, right?”

Oh.  _ Oh _ . 

“I knew you two had a thing. Must be hard with her off on X-Factor now.” 

“Uh, I guess,” Rictor says, stooping down to pick up his paddle. “I mean… yeah, actually. It’s weird. We used to talk all the time… we lived in the same place even, and now. I dunno. I miss her, I think. But I also think I just miss old times. When things were slightly— just slightly, ya know— less dangerous and murdery.” He serves, sending the ping-pong ball bounding over the net. “Alright, I talked. You go. What’s with you and Terry?” 

Jimmy’s shoulders sink. “Nothing. Everything. I don’t know.” He gets distracted and forgets that he’s supposed to be letting Rictor win. His wrist moves faster, and it gets harder and harder for Rictor to keep up. “I like her. Obviously I like her, I’m not exactly subtle,” he says, and Rictor doesn’t disagree. “But she’s my friend first. Plus… she’s not okay, you know? And… and I’m not a ‘fixer’ or whatever. I’m not one of those people who needs to fix people. I want to help her because she’s my friend and I care about her.”

“I know,” Rictor says, trying to keep up with the rapid back-and-forth of the ping-pong ball. At one point, he swings and misses and the ball flies off the table. Point Jimmy. “I get it.” 

“I don’t want her to… I don’t know,” Jimmy sighs. “I don’t want her thinkin’ that I won’t still be there when she gets through all this.” 

“And, plus, you’re scared she only hangs out with you because she needs you,” Rictor points out. “Right?” Jimmy’s face says it all. “Yeah.” 

It’s something Rictor’s thought about before. He’s poured himself into helping Shatterstar understand the intricacies of human interaction, socialization, music, movies. What happens when Shatterstar doesn’t need his help? Are they still friends? 

“Maybe,” Rictor says, “you need her as much as she needs you.” 

Jimmy looks doubtful. “I like her and I want her around,” Jimmy clarifies. “But I don’t  _ need _ anything from anyone. I’m fine, Rictor.”

“Yeah, fine,” Ric scoffs. “You’re always ‘fine.’” 

“I am.” Jimmy hits the ball a little too hard and it bounces off the wall behind Rictor’s head, ricocheting around the room before Ric catches it and tosses it across the table. 

“Shatty told me what you said the other day. ’Bout how you’re only happy when you’re unhappy.” 

Jimmy frowns. “I didn’t think he’d share that.”

“Yeah… you gotta be  _ really _ clear with him when something is a secret,” Rictor says.

“Wasn’t a secret, really. Just… I don’t know,” Jimmy says, twirling his paddle in his hand. “I don’t need anybody worrying about me.”

“Tough,” Rictor says. “We’re a team; it’s what we do. Also? When  _ Shatterstar _ is concerned about your emotional wellbeing, you  _ know _ you’re fucked.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” 

Rictor tries to hit the ping-pong ball flying toward him but he misses. They’ve pretty much stopped keeping score now, anyway. “Look… I’ve been pretty messed up about Genosha, and… and, you know, thinking Cable killed my dad and stuff. And I know doing shit like teaching Shatterstar to read a clock helps me at least think about something else.”

“Helps the rest of us, too,” Jimmy jibes. “You’re making a fine young gentleman out of our Shatty.” Rictor snorts. 

“Yeah, well. Jimmy, I can’t even imagine what you went through,” Rictor says. “Losing your whole team, and…” He doesn’t need to say it. They’re living in the ruins of Jimmy’s childhood, of his home. His people. “If I were you, I wouldn’t want to think about any of it, either.”

“I have to think about it.” Jimmy hits the ball and it careens into the wall. “I think about it every day.” 

“I know you do.” Rictor picks up the ball to serve it and notices it’s dented. He sets it on the table. They’re going to have to buy more— all the rest have been melted, burned or sliced in half. That’s X-Force for you. “I’m just sayin’... sometimes the best way to help yourself is by helping someone else.” 

“I agree.”

“But other times?” Ric adds, putting his paddle on the table next to the dented ping-pong ball. “Others times it isn’t. Other times, the best way to help yourself  _ is _ by helping yourself.” 

Jimmy squints at him. “Jeez. You and Shatty both. Is this the kinda stuff you’re learning watching all that MTV?”

“Hey now,” Ric says, “sometimes we’re watching Oprah.” 

“Hmph.” Jimmy sets his own paddle down and stretches his arms. “Well, I guess I gotta go tell Guthrie to put ping-pong balls on the Walmart list.”

“Ooh, remind him to get Fritos too,” Rictor says as Jimmy passes him.

Jimmy gives him a look. “The day Samuel Guthrie  _ forgets _ to buy Fritos is the day we know for sure we’re dealing with a Skrull,” he says, and he claps Ric’s shoulder on his way out. 

Rictor stands alone for a moment before walking off to find Shatterstar.


End file.
